Shoe-salesman s foot-rest



No. 6l5,058. Patented Nov. 29, I898. W. E. CUMMINGS.

SHOE SALESMANS FOOT REST.

(Application filed Italy 1a, 1396.

(No Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILBUR E. CUMMINGS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

SHOE-SALESMANS FOOT-REST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 615,058, dated November 29, 1898. Application filed May 18, 1896. Serial No. 591,944. (No model.)

To aZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILBUR E. CUMMINGS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of Oalifornia,have invented a new and useful Shoe-Salesmans Foot-Rest, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my invention is to provide a foot-rest which is superior to all other footrests in that it brings the foot into a more natural position and one which is more convenient for the salesman in fitting the shoe to the foot of the purchaser.

One particular object of my invention is to provide a device in which the foot-holder may be manufactured in quantities and shipped to the place of use without being attached to the stool or support, and whereby any shoedealer can by purchasing a number of the foot-rests and a number of the ordinary round stools carried in stock by furniture-dealers provide himself at slight expense with a sufficient number of light, cheap, and convenient foot-rests to accommodate numerous customers; also, to provide convenient means for handling the stool and placing it in front of the customer and in proper position for use. My stool is designed to be superior to other stools in point of portability, it being an object to afford the utmost facility to the salesman for' placing the stool in exact position before the customer, who may be seated at any place on the divan or sofa ordinarily used in shoe-stores for the customer while being fitted.

It is very desirable that a stool for salesmens use be capable of being handled by the salesman with ease and grace, and heretofore no stool of this kind has been provided, so far as I am aware. All of the combined stools and foot-rests of which I am aware are very hard to handle; and the object of my invention in this regard is to enable the salesman to lift the stool and place it for his customer at any place where the customer may be seated, on a divan or elsewhere, without inconvenience or awkward movements upon the part of the salesman. I am enabled to accomplish this object by combining in the foot-rest a handle and fastening the foot-rest at an inclination against the rim of the stool, so that the handle, which is formed by a loop at the stool approximately underneath the handle,

and the handle is also thereby brought to such a height that the salesman can easily grasp it without ungraceful bending, and when the stool is lifted it will practically balance, not canting so much as to give an awkward appearance. By combining the handle and footrest and arranging it as set forth a very neat and compact portable stool and foot-rest is provided.

Another object of my invention is to provide a foot-rest which will cause the customer to place his foot in the natural and proper position convenient for the salesman.

Another object attained by my invention is the holding of the foot in a natural and easy position both for customer and salesman and to avoid any unnatural fullness in the instep which results from unnatural positions in which the foot is liable to be held by foot-rests, so that with my invention the salesman will be able to lace or button the shoe as tight as it can be laced or buttoned around the instep when the foot is in the natural position. The foot and ankle are held by this restin substantially the same shape they maintain when the person stands.

It is an object of my invention to compel the toe of the person to be fitted to be held toward such person and not to allow the toe to be extended in the position the foot occupies when a person is standing on tiptoes, the object being to hold the foot in the natural position that it occupies when a person is standing erect, so that the instep will be as small as possible.

It is also an object to provide a foot-rest applicable for the various sizes of shoes to be fitted, but yet to compel the foot to assume the proper position. My foot-rest is characterized by having a supporting-surface which is plain from tip of toe to the rear of heel and having a heel and counter supporting piece, which extends up around the sides of the heel as Well as to support the back of the heel. By this construction shown the holder is applicable for any sized shoe to be fitted. This stool does not take up any more room practically than an ordinary stool, and there is no danger of any ones stumbling over it.

The stools heretofore known for this purpose have had the foot-rest connected with the stool by a bar or arm, over which the salesman and customer were liable to stumble. I entirely do away with this objection.

Although my invention is adapted for light portable stools, it is also applicable to stools having heavy stands or central supports.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated the invention in the portable form.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of the foot-rest in use. Fig. 2 is a perspec tive view of the foot-rest, showing the footholder adj ustably attached to the stool.

A indicates a stool, which by preference has a circular seat a and three or four legs. 13 indicates the foot-holder, approximately the form of a shoe-sole, the supporting-face of which is in one plane from tip of tee to rear of heel and provided at its lower end with a heel and counter supporting ledge or projection Z). The holder B is preferably attached to the top corner or rim of the seat of the stool at that portion of the sole of the holder which corresponds to the ball of the foot, so that the skeleton toe-piece b of the holder projects above the seat of the stool. Such toe-piece has a hole in it, as at Z), to form a hand-hole, and the toe portion thus forms a loop to serve for a handle to lift the stool, so that when the salesman wishes to move the stool he inserts his fingers through the hole Z) and lifts the stool by the toe-piece or handle I) and places it in position before the customer, and the shoe-holder will thereby be brought into the correct place to receive the foot of the customer. The holder is arranged at a suitable inclinationsay about forty-five degrees with the horizon; but it is preferably adjustable as to inclination by means shown in Fig. 2, and which I will hereinafter describe.

The counter and heel supporting ledge or projection 11 preferably ends in a point 11", so as to be unfitted for forming a rest for the foot except when the foot is in the holder, so that when the customer rests his foot on the holder he will naturally be caused to place the foot in the right position in the holder in fact, will find no other convenient place there on which to rest the feet. This form of holder supports the foot with great comfort to the customer and is also in the easiest position for the clerk or salesman. hen the foot-rest is placed in the right position before the customer, the clerk will take his seat upon the stool, and thus the foot of the purchaser when 011 the holder will be in place between the knees of the salesman, with the instep about level with the seat of the stool and at the highest elevation which will be desirable to the customer, thus bringing the foot into the most comfortable and convenient position for the customer and also for the salesman to operate in fitting the shoe.

The foot-rest in the drawings is shown with circular-topped stool; but it is to be understood that the holder can be applied to a stool having a square or other formed top; but in such case the holder should be applied at a corner of the stool, so that the foot-rest will be held forward in front of the salesman when he is seated on the stool, and the salesmans legs will not have to be spread apart the full width of the stool, but will be allowed to assume a natural and comfortable position, as shown in Fig. 1, while fitting the shoe to the customer.

In Fig. 2 the holder is shown adjustable as to inclination. C indicates a suitable pivot or hinge which pivots the holder to the seat or top of the stool. D indicates an extensible support for the rear or lower portion of the holder. This support maybe formed of any suitable extensible device. The one which I have illustrated consists of an arm 1, which projects downward from the bottom of the holder and enters a socket 3, which is fastened to the stool. 3 indicates a set-screw to hold the arm 1 at any position desired in the socket 2.

The legs E E, 00., are preferably fastened to the rim 4 of the seat, and the foot-holder is preferably attached to the rim of the seat at the same side of the seat as one of the legs E, so that the leg prevents the stool from tipping toward the one who rests his foot in the holder. In such form the. support or brace D or D, that supports the lower end of the holder, is fastened to the said leg.

The adjustable form of support shown in Fig. 2 enables the salesman to adjust the holder to any angle required to form a comfortable rest for the foot of each particular customer being fitted.

My improved foot-rcst differs from all other foot-rests heretofore produced in that the metallic foot-holder thereof may be manufactured in quantities and is so adapted and arranged that it may be applied to the ordinary stools carried in stock by any first-class furniture-dealer. Thus from a central point of manufacture the goods may be shipped to the place of use and may there be applied to ordinary stools or other supports with great expedition and at slight expense. In all other foot-rests of which I am aware it has been necessary to provide a stand orsupport especially designed for the foot-rest, and since these rests are ordinarily quite cumbersome the cost of transportation often exceeds the first cost of the foot-rest. lVith my improved arrangement the cost of transportation is reduced to a minimum, and when my device is applied to a stool, as shown in the drawings, the article thus produced is highly artistic and ornamental and is of great convenience both to the salesman and to the customer. l urthermore, by my manner of applying the foot-holder to the stool the loopforming the toe of the holder is projected over the seat of the stool toward the center thereof, so that when the salesman picks up the rest by means of the loop in order to transport it from one portion of the store to another the point at which the salesman grasps the rest is very near the center of gravity of the stool, and thereby the handling of the stool is greatly facilitated, and the ease with which it is placed in position in front of the purchaser is much greater than with the old style of foot-rests.

Now, having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A foot-rest comprising a stool having its legs fastened to the rim of its seat, and a footholder fastened to one of the legs and extending therefrom and resting on the rim of the seat and arranged oblique to the seat and extending thereabove and terminating in a handle for lifting the stool.

2. Afoot-rest comprisinga stool, and a footholder fastened to the rim of the seat of the stool and having the toe part formed in a loop projecting over the seat of the stool to form a handle for lifting the stool.

3. A foot-rest for shoe-salesmen comprising the plain foot-supporting face, the heel and counter support, the loop or open frame at the toe, means attaching the rest to the rim of a stool or seat at a point on the rest corresponding to the ball of the foot, so that the toe portion of the rest extends over the seat and the rest also extends downward and outward from said rim and means fastened to the stool and supporting and bracing the heel portion of the rest.

4. The shoe-rest set forth comprising the plain foot-supporting face, the heel and counter support; the loop or open frame at the toe; means pivotally attaching the rest to the rim of a stool or seat at a point corresponding to the ball of the foot; and an adjustable supporting-brace arranged to support the heel portion of the rest.

5. A foot-rest comprising a stool and a slanting foot-holder fastened thereto and terminating in a loop above the seat of the stool substantially as set forth.

WILBUR E. CUMMINGS.

Witnesses:

JAMES R. TOWNSEND, ALFRED I. TOWNSEND. 

